Soap dish



L. FLEMING Aug. 12, 1952 SOAP DISH Filed Aug. 12, 194.9

Patented Aug. 12, 1952 SOAP DISH Lawrence Fleming, Falls Church, Va. 7,

Application August 12, 1949, Serial No. 109,993

3 Qlaims. (Cl. 45-28) This invention relates to dishes or receptacles which are used in kitchens, bathrooms, and the like, to hold bars of soap.

An object of the invention is to provid a soap dish adapted to contact the soap over the smallest practicabl portion of the soaps surface, so that the soap will dry readily and not become soft and soggy on the bottom.

Another object is to provide a soap dish so shaped that the bar of soap is particularly easy to pick up, even when it is wet and slippery.

Another object is to provide a soap dish having large radii of curvatur on its concav surfaces, and free from closely-spaced ribs and the like, so that it is easy to clean.

Another object is to provide a dish which is readily adapted to manufacture by molding in one piece from plastics materials, and by similar processes.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a soap dish accordin to the invention; Figure 2 is a front sectional view of said dish taken along line AA of Fig. 3; Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the same taken along line B--B of Figure 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, the soap dish comprises a back portion I, a recessed well portion 2, a shelf or ledge portion 3, and sides 4. In addition, a septum 5 is provided, extending from a central portion of the back I to a central part of ledge or shelf 3. The whole is adapted to support a cake of soap in an inclined position, supported at its one end by the back I of the dish, and at its other end by the ledge portion 3. A cake of soap I is thus indicated in dashed lines in Fig. 3. The soap 1 is restrained from sliding downward and outward by the front portion 6 of sides 4. The upper end or corner of the soap rests against the back I of the dish at point 8. As the cake 1 becomes smaller through use, the point 8 at which its end contacts the back will become lower. The dish is preferably so proportioned that when a cake of soap has become so small that it is ready to break in handling, this point of contact will be located as at 8". At this point the soap will still be supported by the ends, in an inclined position, according to the invention.

A further feature of the invention resides in the septum 5. When a worn cake of soap contacts the back I of the dish at point B", the major portion of its extent is below the septum 5. The septum thus restrains the soap from falling to one side, into the sump or well portion 2. Sump or Well portion 2 is for th collection of 2 water and soap solution which drip from the soap, and is preferably shaped with large radii of curvature as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to facilitate cleaning. When the upper end of a cake of soap contacts the back I at any point below the level of the top of the septum, as at 8 (Fig. 3), the septum will thus restrain the soap from falling sideways, and prevent any portion of th soap from lying in the sump or well 2.

The invention provides that the upper ends of cakes of soap are restrained from sliding in an outward direction by the shape of the back I. A concave cross-section, as indicated at [2 in Fig. 1 has been found to work satisfactorily, or alternatively the sides 4 may be continued upward along the edges of back I.

The invention further provides that the soap will rest properly in the dish, supported only at its end or edge portions, even if said soap is carelessly or improperly placed thereon. Should a bar of soap be placed on the dish in a sideways or lying-down position, th divider or septum 5 will support the far edge of the soap and keep it clear of the sump or well portion 2, while the near or front edge of the soap will be supported in the normal fashion by the front edge 6 of the dish.

The soap dish according to this invention may be molded of any suitable plastic material, such as polystyrene or ethyl cellulose, or it may be stamped or drawn from sheet metal, or it may be made of ceramic material. The form illustrated is particularly adapted to be so made that it fits over a conventional tile or ceramic soap dish of the type that is ordinarily built into a tiled wall, edges l0 and space H being adapted particularly for said fit, and is readily removable therefrom for cleaning. Alternatively the invention encompasses a dish structure integral with a til backing, suitable for building into a tile wall.

The shelf or ledge portion 3 of th dish need not be horizontal as shown best in Fig. 3, but may be somewhat inclined downward and inward so as to blend into the well portion 2.

I claim:

1. A soap dish comprising a base, a back extending upwardly from said base, said back having a forward concave surface in its horizontal plane and terminating in marginal side edges, flange portions extending upwardly from said base and positioned about the front and sides thereof, the side flange portions merging into said marginal side edges of said back, and a vertically extending divider rib positioned substan- 2. A soap dish set forth in claim "1 further 10 1,701,690

characterized in thafsaid back has a concave surface in its vertical plane.

3. A soap dish as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that said divider rib merges into said sumps. I LAWRENCE FLEMING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 644,513 Hall Feb. 27, 1900 1,088,783 Lisbae Mar. 3, 1914 Mueller Feb. 12, 1929 2,417,365 Jodoin Mar. 11, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 201,767 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1939 Blake Mar. 21, 1950 

